Written 05/15/2018 - the day of my baby's K5 graduation. Just now feeling like I can post it......
My baby is graduating today. She’s graduating from K-5 and I don’t know exactly how I feel about that. Just seems like yesterday I was graduating from K-5 myself. I still remember pieces of one of the songs….
Kids under construction
Maybe the paint is still wet.
Kids under construction
The Lord may not be finished yet.
(Above is a gallery! Just click to move through the pics!)
The song is by Bill Gaither and Gary Paxton and just a warning it’s an earworm you can’t get out of your head. Remember I graduated from K-5 in 1988 and I still remember the darn song. I remember belting it at the top of my lungs with a big piece of banner paper with KIDS UNDER CONSTRUCTION painted on it and all of our handprints all over it. I vaguely remember it was all primary colors - red, blue, yellow, and maybe green. There are pictures somewhere. It was in the gym at HCS. Metal folding chairs set in neat rows, and my mom with her little camera that took the disks of film snapping away.
Tonight I’ll be watching my own daughter walk across a stage and receive her diploma. I don’t know exactly how I feel about that. She’s growing up right in front of me. Four feet of sass and self-confidence that gets her in more trouble than you can shake a stick at (or a wooden spoon.) She’s still under construction, that is true, but what she has built so far makes me so proud. She’s coming along with her reading, can write her entire name even that ridiculous middle name “Jackson.” Never mind that the J doesn’t face the right way half the time. What can I say she has her daddy’s handwriting. She’s sharp and fierce and way more observant than anyone really gives her credit for. She loves with abandon and gives out hugs like they won’t make them tomorrow. Her hair is wild, her smile quick, and the mischievous light in those brown eyes hints at a brain that is always going a mile a minute. She’s a little mix of me and her daddy and though I can see myself in some of her ways she’s definitely got her daddy’s sense of humor.
Kids under construction. I love to make things, we all know, and I have to say that this little project I started about 7 years ago has to be the most challenging and the most fulfilling. Though there are days I remember how easy my life must have been before piles of laundry and the never-ending list of “why” questions. I have to admit that I’m never lonely and never at a loss for what to do anymore. And while she always keeps me running there are the nights that all she wants is for me to pop popcorn and watch a movie with her. Those are the best nights. I probably spend more time watching her than the movie.
She’s definitely not the round-faced little girl I dropped off in August. She’s my big girl now. Solid as a rock and not realizing her own strength. Good luck baby girl. As we move forward in life, let’s not forget that we’re all still under construction and not finished yet. Please remember to be patient and kind, for we’re all still growing too.
Love you,
Momma
For those that don’t know the song, here are the lyrics:
“Kids Under Construction”
by Bill Gaither and Gary Paxton
Kids under construction -
Maybe the paint is still wet.
Kids under construction -
The Lord may not be finished yet.
We’re more than just accidents without the cause;
We’re more than just bodies and brains.
God made us on purpose; we’re part of a plan.
He cares and He knows us by name.
Kids under construction -
Maybe the paint is still wet.
Kids under construction -
The Lord may not be finished yet.
Now, mister, I know that I get in your way;
I’m noisy and just bug you so.
But there’s lots of questions I just have to ask
If I’m ever going to know.
Kids under construction -
Maybe the paint is still wet.
Kids under construction -
The Lord may not be finished yet.
Dear Jesus, please make me more patient and kind,
And help us to be more like You.
And make room for all other children of Yours,
For they are still growing up, too.
Kids under construction -
Maybe the paint is still wet.
Kids under construction -
The Lord may not be finished yet.